Door-guard.



J. F. McELROY.

I DOOR GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20. 19m.

1,287,711 Patented No.17, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

139w: s3 IN-vmmia Jam FJyZE/FO 6 BY 5 J. F. McELROY.

DOOR GUARD. APPLICATiON FILED JULY 20. 1914.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTHR D stre JFAMES 15. BIQELROY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 CONSOLIDATED GAR- HEATIITG COIYIFANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application flied 31113 20, 1914-. Serial Ito. SSLSGH.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that l, JAMEs F. MoELnoY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, county of Albany, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Guards, the following being a full, clear, and exact disclosure of the one form of my invention which i at present deem preferable.

For a detailed description ofthe present "form or my invention, reference may be had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, wherein,

Figure 1 shows my apparatus in a diagrammatic form,

Fig. 2 is asection of the yielding guard or fender, Figs. 3 and 4: show details or the disahling and non-interference features.

My invention relates to safety devices for protecting persons and objects in the doorway of a motor-operated door. it has been heretofore proposed to provide amotor-propelled device, such as a door or vehicle, with a guard or fender, which, upon encountering an obstacle in its path, will yield and thereby bring into action arresting-devices for the door or vehicle. in the present case I purpose to employ with a door such a yieldable guard or fender (hereinafter referred to as a guard) which is preferably mounted on door itself and which on encountering an obstacle not only causes the arrest but also the backward movement of the door toward its open position. llor that purpose the yielding guard exercises control over the door-motor, preferably by electrical devices, comprising contacts which are operated by the yielding of the guard and which serve to dominate a control-circuit for the motor. The motor is preferably a pneumatic one having an electromagnetic controller located in the aforesaid control-circuit. The said control-circuit also contains doormaiis contacts by which the doorman may both open and close the door, whereas the guard-contacts only dominate the door-opening function of said circuit. in addition, 1 provide that the door-openin function of the guardcontacts shall be disa led or suspended when the door is closed, so that the guard cannot be used at that time for unauthorized opening of the door. I furthermore provide nonintertering devices for preventing interfer ence between the door-opening iunction or Patented Dec. at, rate.

the guard-contacts and the door-closing nel A having about the same width and length as the door itself and telescoping over a similar and parallel guide-channel A? secured to the forward edge oi the door A. Supporting links a are jointed, near their lower ends, to A at points a and to A at points (2?, the extreme lower end of each link projecting beyond the pivotal point a and bearing on A to afford a stop for the outward play of the guard A The guard A is normally pressed outward away from the door by springs A A each of which is mounted on a hollow stud secured to A and bears at its outer end against A On guidechannel. A are mounted two insulating blocks 5, h, each carrying a set of contacts B. These contacts are in the form of springs which normally stand apart from and out of contact witheach other, but lie in the path of an insulating block b on guard A Hence when tr e guard A yields,\upon coming in contact with a person in the doorway or other obstacle, it will cause one or both sets oi contacts B to come together and close, at that point, the circuit to which they are located, the two sets of contacts being in multiple in the circuit, as shown in Fig. 1. While I have shown two sets of contacts, it is obvious that but one set, or more than two sets might be employed. From the guardcontacts B, B, the circuit wires 1 and 2 extend, within the door to contact-fingers C and C the former being split, which, as the door travels, slide upon stationary strips D and D respectively. By this means the toand-fro movement of the door still permits the maintenance of electrical communication with the guard-contacts, although, as will be more fully explained hereinafter, such 1 communication is broken when the door is closed, the fingers C and C then passing oftfrom the ends of the strips D and D in order to deprive the guard-contacts of their normal domination of the motor-controlling circuit. This closed position or" the door is illustrated in Fig. 1, also in Figs. 3 and 4. Moreover, when the door is fully opened, finger C will pass ofi from strip D and come upon two short strips 7, f in the door-closw' be hereinafter explained.

1 part b of the controller casing and the-doorin side of the motor-controlling circuit. as

The pneumatic door-motor 1s indicated at G and the electromagnetic controller therefor at H. The motor and its controller may be of any desired kindwherein the motor valves are worked by electromagnets.

It is suificient for this case to merely indicate them, itbei ng understood that-the dooropening magnet is contained in the left-hand closing magnet in the right-hand part 72?.

The doormans contacts are shown at E.

pushing the button, closes the door-opening contacts at E, the circuit will be from the battery or source of current-K,'by wire 3,

through the door-opening magnet at h, to. ground. When he closes the door-closing; contacts at F, the circuit will be from. thebattery or source of current K, by wire 4. (assuming that the short strips 7? and f guard independently of the door, and means 1. for disabling the controlling function of are connected by finger G the-door being open) to the door-closing magnet at k and thence to ground. The latter circuit can be established only when the door is fully open and will be broken by movement of fingers C from contacts f 'andf after the door starts to close. The closing movementfof the door which has been-thus initiated will be continued, however, since the door closing valves of the motor have been set by the magnet at h and will remain set until reversed by the action of the opposing dooropening magnet at 72, By this expedient the doorman loses control of the door-closing operation after the door has once started on its closing run, and he therefore can not interfere, by continuing to press on-his-door closing button, with the automatic reversal of the doorinovement by the guard contacts B. That automatic reversal. will occur in the event of the door encountering on its closing run, a person in the doorway or other obstacle which will cause the guard A to yield, against the outward pressure of and C The route 0 the current in this. emergency, when the door-opening side of the motor-controlling circuit is thus closed by the guard-contacts, is indicated in Fig. ,1 by the double arrow-heads on the circuit wires 1, 2, and 3. If, however, the door is fully closed, that emergency route can not be are' then out of contact with strips D D The result is that, when the door is closed, the guard-contacts are disabled, or deprived oftheir function of acting upon the dooropening side of the motor-controlling current to {cause the door to open. If it were 1 not for such disability, it would be possible for a passen er to pry the guard in, by meansof the fingers or a knife-blade, and cause it to open the door. by closing the aforesaid emergency, circuit. To prevent such unauthorized opening of the door is the purpose and effect of my device. The door may still be opened in the normal and authorized way by pressing the doormans contacts E;

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a door, of a guard yieldably supported thereby, a motor for operating the door, an electromagnetic -device controlling the said motor, means cooperating with said guard to render said electromagnetic device operative to effect re-- versal of the motor upon. movement of the said guard when the door is shut.

2. The combination with a door, of a.

' motor and means for rendering the doormans' control inoperative to prevent its interference with'the functions of said guard.

3. The combination with a door, and a motor for operating the same, of an electromagnetic device for controlling said motor, a guard movably attached -to said door,

- a doormans circuit for controlling said electromagnetic device, a branch circuit shunting a portion of said electromagnetic device,

circuit controlled by movement of said guard, and means for rendering the doorly separated contacts in said branch I mans control inoperative to prevent its interference with the functions of said guard.

4. The combination with a door, and a motor for operating the same, of an electromagnetic device for controlling said motor,

a guard movably attached to'said door, a

circuit for said electromagnetic device, a branch circuit controlled by said guard and shunting a portion of said electromagnetic device, and means independent of the guard for breaking said branch circuit when the door reaches a predetermined position.

5. The combination with a door, of a yieldingguard, a 'door motor, a motor controller, electric circuits for said controller, 'doormanfs contacts 'forsaid circuits, a

branch circuit shunting the doormans contacts and a portion of said motor controller, guard contacts operated by movement of said guard and controlling said branch circuit, and means for rendering the doormanscontrol inoperative to prevent its interference with the functions of said guard.

6. The combination with a door, of a yielding guard mounted thereon, electric contacts carried by said door and positioned to be operated by said guard, means for maintaining electrical connection with said contacts as the door moves, a motor for said door and an electromagnetic controller for said motor, main circuits for said controller, and a branch circuit controlled by said contacts for shunting one of said main circuits. 7. The combination with a door, of a yield- 1n po itioned to be operated by said guard, means for maintaining electrical connection with said contacts as the door moves, a motor for said door, an electromagnetic controller for said motor, main circuits for said controller, and a branch circuit controlled by said contacts for shunting one of said main circuits and doormans contacts 'in circuit with said controller and said branch circuit.

8. The combination with a door, of a yielding guard therefor, contacts on the door operated by the guard, a pneumatic door-motor, an electromagnetic controller for said motor, doormans controlling circuits and contacts dominating the controller, a branch circuit shunting the doormans controlling contacts and a portion of said controller and dominated by said guard actuated contacts, doormans contacts dominating the controller, and means for disabling the guard contacts by the movement of the door.

9. The combination with a door, of a yielding guard mounted on the door, contacts on the door operated by said guard, a

door-motor, a branch circuit extending to said contacts and controlling movement of the motor in one direction, and sliding contacts for maintaining connection with the oor as it moves, said sliding contacts having their connection broken when the door is closed.

10. The combination with a door, of a yielding guard therefor, contactscarried by the door and positioned to be operated by said guard, a door-motor, doormans contacts, a door-opening circuit for the motor controlled by both the guard-contacts and a doormans contact, a door-closing circuit for said motor controlled by another of the doormans contacts, and means for preventing interference between the door-opening control of the guard-contacts and the door-closing control of the doormans contacts.

11. Ayieldable guard for doors comprising a guide member, a guard member telescoping therewith to form a chamber, arms a said controller, a doormans door guard thereon, contacts on the door and.

pivotally attached to said (guide member and said guard member to hol them in movable relation, said arms having fingers to limit pivotal movement thereof, means within the chamber for yieldingly pressing said guard member outwardly, and door operating means controlled by said uard member.

12. The combination with a door, a motor for opening and closing the door, an electro magnetic controller for said motor, a doormans door opening circuit connected with closing circuit connected with the controller, a yielding guard mounted on the door, contacts on the door operated by the movement of said guard, a doormans controller for opening and closing said circuits, a branch dooropening circuit shunting the doormans controller and extended to said contacts, and sliding contacts in said branch circuit for maintaining electric connection with the door during its opening and closing movements, the doormans closing circuit being adapted to be bridged by said sliding contact means on the door when the latter is in its open position, and to be broken when the door has moved to its closing position, whereby the doormans closing control is lost after the door has begun its closing movement,

13. The combination with a door, a motor for opening and closing the door, an electromagnetic controller for said motor, a doormans door opening circuit connected with said controller, a doormans door closing circuit connected with the controller, a yielding guard mounted on the door, contacts on the door operated by the movement of said guard, adoormans controller for opening and closing said circuits, a branch dooropening circuit shunting the doormans controller and extended to said contacts, and sliding contacts in said branch circuit for maintaining electric connection with the door during its opening and closing movements, the doormans closin circuit being adapted to be bridged by said sliding contact means on the door whenthe latter is in its open position, and to be broken when the door has moved to its closing position, whereby the doormans closing control is lost after the door has begun its closing movement, and said sliding contacts having their connection broken when the door is in its full closed position. I

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, before two subscribing witnesses, this 16th day of July, 1914.

JAMES F. MCELROY.

Witnesses:

HERBERT A. CALKINs, JAY A. RoBINsoN. 

